BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
Question of the Week: Have you ever gotten a grail doll?
Written on March 26, 2012 at 12:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Question of the Week
A lot of people in the Blythe hobby seem to have a grail doll. Like the Holy Grail, it’s a doll that’s either very expensive or somehow otherwise unattainable. I think customized Blythes make either very good (because they really are fairly unattainable unless someone sells) or very bad (because it’s likely you’ll ever get her) grail dolls. But for me, all my dream/grail dolls have been stock dolls. Who my grail doll also changes based on how much I become comfortable with spending on a single doll. Let me go through them with you:
- At the very beginning of my life with Blythe, Love Mission was my first ‘dream’ doll. I loved looking at photos of her (I still do!) and I got her a month after I started collecting Blythe.
- My second grail doll was Margaret Meets Ladybug. At that point (and until my first Kenner) she was my most expensive doll. She doesn’t come up as often as some other dolls do for sale, so I had to wait and wait and wait and then I ended up getting her NRFB.
- Velvet Minuet, oh yes. Velvet Minuet was the newest release when I had first found out about Blythe in 2004. But at that point I wasn’t able to buy a Blythe because of lack of money (and I didn’t have a Paypal account back then either). She was my first second-hand/used Blythe too. I got her off of the forums and I adored her the moment I saw her. She’s also had the best hair out of a lot of my dolls, and (not counting the Kenners) she’s my only pre-loved Blythe.
- Red-headed sidepart Kenner Blythe, vintage 1972. Like a lot of people, a Kenner was on my wishlist. I wanted one so incredibly bad. I lost so many auctions, missed out on so many ‘for sale’ threads. And then one day I finally one an auction and waited for the longest week of my life to be over to go to the post office and free her from the hands of Canada Post.
I have been incredibly lucky. I’ve managed to get four of the doll that I’ve most wanted in what is considered to be a ‘short’ amount of time in the Blythe hobby. Since 2009, I’ve had a total of twelve dolls in my custody (one recently fled because she was tired of still being NRFB!) and I have some of the prettiest dolls (in my humble opinion) ever.
Have you ever gotten a grail doll?
I think one of the things that we should all remember is how incredibly lucky we are to be able to afford this hobby. Not everyone can afford to spend $100+ on a doll. Not everyone can afford to spend money for a Kenner. Not everyone can afford to send off a doll to get customized. Not everyone can afford to buy doll shoes or commission helmets or dresses. But we can. We can afford to be part of a doll hobby because it’s what we love and what we can do with our time and money. And I think we’re all incredibly lucky to be able to afford to be a part of Blythe.
It was my birthday this month and my very wonderful boyfriend bought me my grail doll, Miss Sally Rice NRFB.
While I absolutely adore her, I feel guilty that my boyfriend spent SO MUCH money on a doll for me. You’re right when you said that we’re very lucky to be able to afford this hobby. I appreciate every doll or doll related purchase!
I bought Vinter Arden NRFB for myself for Valentine’s Day this year. My husband kind of enjoys the Blythe hobby, in that I always pick my presents out myself, and he never has to go to a jewelry store or anything. But yeah, I felt guilty too. This is not a cheap hobby. Luckily my husband also has some not-cheap hobbies. So he’s ok with it, and in his way he understands. As long as the bills get paid. ;o)
Vinter Arden is BEAUTIFUL and in no way do I regret the money spent, but I still can’t believe I paid so much for a doll.
My other stock grail doll is le Jardin. Maybe for Christmas? I have a short wishlist of stock dolls, but mostly I’d like to pursue custom dolls.
Well, first it was Rosie Red, but then changed to be Mondie, since she was ‘more affordable.’ Mondie joined the herd, and then the grail girl became Aztec Arrival. I got her too. Recently, while searching for the new GG, Kozy, I wound up with a Rosie Red. It kind of came back to me that she was really and truly the grail girl. I had wanted her, thought I could never afford her, and then got her! And now, I am about to adopt a Kozy. Whew! No more after this!
I have. Goldie. I got her on layaway (which is my best friend for buying a doll) and ’till the day she still is my most expensive doll. $600